A new federal rule gives states and tribes greater flexibility to kill double-crested cormorants for management purposes.
Under the new rule, up to 121,504 double-crested cormorants may be killed per year nationally in areas under the jurisdiction of state and federally recognized tribal wildlife agencies that may have been off limits before. Conservation groups worry about the overall impact to the population. Others say the permit is necessary to deal with problem birds and protect state resources and salmon.
Agencies interested in the permit must show they tried other, nonlethal methods first. The permit will allow the fish-eating birds to be killed at sites in the 48 states where cormorants are shown to pose a danger to endangered or threatened species, where they impact health and human safety or are damaging state or tribal property and assets, among others factors.
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The rule establishes a new special permit for state and federally recognized tribal agencies in the contiguous 48 states to undertake additional cormorant control activities when permissible under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. States and tribes must use nonlethal methods before resorting to lethal control. The activities allowed under the special permit include controlling cormorants to help reduce conflicts with wild and publicly stocked fisheries within state or tribal jurisdictions. States also will have additional flexibility to manage cormorants at state- or tribal-owned hatcheries and release sites.
The new special permit complements existing measures to address conflicts with double-crested cormorants to protect human health and safety, personal property and threatened and endangered species, FWS director Aurelia Skipwith said.
In the aftermath of the November 3 election, President Donald Trump has tried every trick in the book to avoid facing the reality of his loss. A barrage of lawsuits accompanied by disinformation campaigns has attempted to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election.
But a close look at regulatory actions and executive moves shows that, even as Trump makes a show of refusing to concede or transition power to the incoming Biden administration, his team is pushing through a slew of last-minute rules and regulations.
Many of these changes will harm the environment and public health.
It isn’t surprising that an administration that has attempted to roll back more than 100 environmental protections in the past four years would step up its assault in its waning months. But that doesn’t make the continued attacks any less important. Here’s some of what’s at risk:
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced a final rule and final environmental impact statement (EIS) to responsibly manage conflicts associated with double-crested cormorants in the United States.
The final rule establishes a new special permit for state and federally recognized tribal wildlife agencies in the contiguous 48 United States to undertake additional cormorant control activities when permissible under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). States and tribes must use nonlethal methods before resorting to lethal control. The activities allowed under the special permit include controlling cormorants to help reduce conflicts with wild and publicly stocked fisheries within state or tribal-jurisdictions. States also will have additional flexibility to manage cormorants at state or tribal-owned hatcheries and release sites.
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